Antoin 'Tony' Rezko sentenced to more than 10 years in prison

A Chicago-area businessman whose association with President Obama came under scrutiny during the 2008 presidential campaign has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for corruption charges related to kickback schemes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Antoin "Tony" Rezko, who raised funds for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and Obama when he was an Illinois senator, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison Tuesday for a money kickback scheme he was convicted of in 2008.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Rezko was sentenced by a federal judge for trying to make $7 million in kickbacks from companies trying to do business with Blagojevich.

Prosecutors had been hoping for a total sentencing of 11-15 years, according to The Associated Press.

"That’s about as bad as it can get in a political corruption case," Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Niewoehner said according to the Sun-Times. "Illinois was for sale at the very top levels of our government."

Rezko voluntarily went to prison in 2008 when he was found guilty on 16 of 24 counts of corruption charges related to money laundering and plotting to skim money from companies trying to do business with Blagojevich.